Question

Mercury poisoning is a debilitating disease that is often fatal. In the human body, mercury reacts with essential enzymes leading to irreversible inactivity of these enzymes. If the amount of mercury in a polluted lake is 0.4 Hg/mL, what is the total mass in kilograms of mercury in the lake

Answer 1

The total mass of mercury in the lake is 631,542.7 kg

Step-by-step explanation:

Question: The given dimensions of the lake as obtained from a similar question posted online are;

The surface area of the lake, A = 100 mi²

The lake's average depth, d = 20 ft.

The concentration of the mercury, C = 0.4 μg Hg/mL = 0.4 × 10⁻⁶ kg Hg/L

Therefore, we have;

The volume of water mixture in the lake, V = A × d

∴ V = 100 mi² × 20 ft. = 2,787,840,000 ft.² × 20 ft. = 55,756,800,000 ft.³

1 ft³ = 28.31685 L

∴ 55,756,800,000 ft.³ = 55,756,800,000 ft.³ × 28.31685 L/ft.³ = 1.57885675 × 10¹² L

The total mass of mercury in the lake, m = C × V

∴ m = 0.4 × 10⁻⁶ kg Hg/L × 1.57885675 × 10¹² L = 631,542.7 kg

The total mass of mercury in the lake, m = 631,542.7 kg.